The US asked India to guarantee universal religious freedom.
Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, said that the US often interacts with officials on religious freedom initiatives.
South Asia has religious liberty. The US Commission on Religious Freedom and other organisations have urged the State Department to include India in CPC for the third consecutive year. Christians and others are also tortured or slaughtered, not just Muslims. It also has to do with the BJP-led government and the Citizenship Act, which offers non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh fast-track citizenship.
The two biggest democracies in the world, the US and India, Ned Price said, “are committed to the long-term enterprise.”
“This is the endeavour to create a perfect union that Secretary Blinken previously emphasised. This is a team effort. Together, we can demonstrate how our democracies can serve the demands of the populace. We must defend fundamental principles, including respect for human rights like freedom of expression and religion. This helps to support our democracies.
According to Ned Price, Secretary Blinken determined that India’s issues regarding religious freedom do not warrant a classification as a Country of Particular Concern or Special Watch List. Instead, he said, these are continuous discussions with our partners in India and around the world.
“India is the largest democracy in the world. It has numerous religions. We voice our concerns about India in our Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, and we continue to keep an eye on religious freedom worldwide, including in India. We have urged the Indian government to uphold everyone’s right to practise their religion freely, and we will keep doing so. We occasionally offer officials advice on how to strengthen religious freedom.
